Electrolytic apparatus.



l. H. `LEVIN.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man rsa. 26, 1914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

@WQ/ 1mm; A l "yg/MQW Attyl e ISAAC H. LEVIN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TOINTERNATIONAL OXYGEN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS Patented Sept. t, 195.

Original application iled May 9, 1913, Serial No. 766,469. Divided and this application led February 2G,

. 1914'. Serial. No. 821,126.

To all whom it may 'concern Be it known that I, Isaac H. LiiviN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in .the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and 4useful Improvements in Electrolytic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ,diaphragm apparatus especially adapted for use in the dissociation of oxygen and hydrogen entering into an electrolyte.

' This invention relates .more particularlyto electrodes for use in such an apparatus, and has for'it'spbject the production of such an electrode, or such an electrolytic cou le for the purpose of increasing the efliciency of the apparatus, by so constructing and arranging the electrodes as to avoid the destruction thereof through corrosion.

A- further object is to so construct the electrodesy as to minimize resistance to the electric current .at the anode or cathode,.

thus increasing the effective decomposition of the electrolyte with a current of low voltage, and avoiding the necessity for eX- cess voltage over that required in decomposing the electrolyte.

The inventionconsists in the novel features of construction 'and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and described and more particularly pointed outv in the claims thereto appended.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of one of the electrodes showing a part of thediaphragm in relation thereto, and a portion of a reticulated screeninterposed betwecnthe diaphragm and the plate of the electrode; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figi; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of two adjoining electrodes, a diaphrag'm being shown in place between said electrodes.

Like letters refer to' like parts throughout the several views.

Electrodes made in accordance with my invention are adapted to be arranged in pairs to form a cell, the elements of each cell being separated by an interposed gas frame a is provided with the projection a l at the top thereof, having a plurality of openings c-d communicating by ,means of the ducts c d respectively, with opposite sides of the plate b. The lug or projection a extends beyond the perimeter or outer edge of the frame a, so that any leak from the openings o-d will be into atmosphere and hence readily detected.' The openings o-d are so arrangedthat they are adapted to register with similar openings in other frames a to forni a continuous duct by means of which communication' is established between that portion of each cell adjacent the anode and that portion of each cell ad-l jacent the cathode, or between opposite sides of the plate b to the oii'take or storage mechanisms. About each opening c-d, the projection or lug a has formed therein a seat cz-d for a packing gasket as ca-ds. The bottom of the frame a is provided with a plurality of openings e--f preferably arraiiged-'in a projection or lug a?, similar tothe lug a', said openings being in communication with opposite sides of the .plate b through the ducts e-. l

The openings e-f are adapted to register with similar openings in adjoining lugs a2, and to form therewith a continuous duct adapted to,be in communication with separate sources of supply of the electrolyte, so as to convey the electrolyte from said sources of supply respectively .to adjacent the anode or adjacent the cathode of each cell. By.

e--f is provided with at least one countersunk gasket seat eZ-fz for the'gasket e3-f1' which is used in forming a continuous waterthe electrolyte, the edge of which diaphragm v seals the inner edge of the perimeter of said frames forming both a water and gas tight joint. lf desired, packing other than the diaphragm may be used for the purpose of forming this joint.

To secure the maximum surface for the plates b, l use corrugated sheets of rolled or cast metal as shown, and the thickness of these plates relative to that of the frames a is such as to bring them as close together as possible to reduce the internal resistance of each cell. The peaks of the corrugation will tend to prevent such distortion of the diaphragm g as would bring it in contact with the surface of the plate, but to insure against any possibility of such distortion, I provide the surface of each plate with a plurality of projections b. To insure the circulation of the electrolyte about all portions ofthe faces of each plate, I cut away each col-migration,

which cut away portions are indicated' at b2, ina manner to permit the electrolyte to pass from one side of each corrugation to the other side thereof.

Ifdesired, the entire face of each plate b on both sides thereof may have a reticulat'ed screen, as a wire mesh extended over the same, which mesh'is indicated at vbs in the drawings.A This mesh while increasing the efliciency of each cell may be dispensed with if desired as the apparatus is highly efficient without the use o such.

In operating an electrolytic apparatus of the character herein described, 1t has been found that the voltage of the current used -must always be in excess of. the theoretical resistance of the cell, this excess voltage being probably re uir'ed because of surface resistance at `the e ectrodes. W'hile with electrodes of similar metal, high eiiciency can Linares be secured, have found that by using an anode and a cathode of dissimilar metals, or having dissimilarly metallized surfaces, I can secure greater economy in the operation of the apparatus or higher capacity with a given voltage.

In actual practice, l have found that a nickel surface for the anode and an iron surface for the cathode produce the best results, and so far as experiments have been able to determine, an iron plate b having one surface thereof electro-plated with nickel, is more ecient than a lar f3ffplate b consisting of an iron sheet and nickel sheet associated in the frame a'.

`I Hence l prefer to use a bi-polar electrode parting fromthe spirit, and scope of the invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is l. An electrolytic apparatus embodying therein a bi-polar electrode, the anode of which has a nickel surface and the cathode of which has an iron surface.

2. An electrolytic apparatus embodying therein an electrolytic couple consisting of an iron anode having an operative surface composed of nickel applied thereto by electro-decomposition, and a cathode having an operative surface of iron.

ln witness whereof, l have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 20th day of February, 1914:.

ISAAC HQ LEVN.

Witness:

F. T. lVaNrwonTH, Ommen FRANCK. 

